


Avengers Assemble

by 4fandoms4ever



Category: Big Hero 6 (2014), Brave (2012), Frozen (2013), How to Train Your Dragon (Movies), Rise of the Guardians (2012), Tangled (2010), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Avengers AU, F/M, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-15
Updated: 2016-11-15
Packaged: 2018-08-31 05:55:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,026
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8566546
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/4fandoms4ever/pseuds/4fandoms4ever
Summary: Silent and exhausted though they all are, Jack can feel that odd warm feeling sweeping over him again. For once he’s among comrades and friends.





	

 

“There was an idea,” Eret says, in a resigned tone.

               

_“We need a response team.”_

_“The Avengers Initiative was shut down.”_

_“This isn’t about the Avengers.”_

_“…You’re gonna leave the fate of the universe to a handful of_ freaks.”

“ _I’m not leaving anything to anyone, but we_ need _a response team. Look, these people may be isolated and unbalanced even. But I believe, with the right push, they can be exactly what we need.”_

 

“…An idea to bring together a group of remarkable people.”

 

_“Astrid. Merida’s been compromised._

_“How did Shield find me?”_

_“We never lost you, Haddock.”_

_“At this point I doubt anything could surprise me.”_

_“Ten bucks says you’re wrong, Corona.”_

_“Apparently I'm volatile, self-obsessed, and don't play well with others.”_

_“That I did know.”_

 “To see if they could become something more…To make them work together when we needed them to, to fight the battles that…we never could.”

“ _We have orders, Frost. We should follow them.”_

_“Following’s not really my style, Blondie.”_

_“And you’re all about style, aren’t you?”_

_“Pitch’s manipulating you.”_

_“And you’ve been doing what exactly, Agent Hofferson?”_

_“You didn’t come here because I bat my eyelashes at you.”_

_“Your work with the Tesseract is what drew Pitch to it, and his allies. It is the signal to all the realms that the earth is ready for a higher form of war.”_

_“A higher form? Really Elsa?”_

Eret stops in front of Jack and Rapunzel. “Tadashi Hamada died still believing in that idea. In heroes.”

* * *

 

Jack stands up, unable to look at anyone.

As he flees the room he can just make out Eret saying: “ _It’s an old fashioned notion.”_

 The deserted corridors fly by with Jack barely noticing. All he can hear is the uneven rhythm of his heart in his ears. How? How had everything gone so bad so quickly?

He admits that he’d taken it a bit far with taunting Rapunzel. She was a blatant reminder of a past he’d rather forget and she’d risen to the bait far too easily. Then there was Elsa, the seemingly mythical god from Arendelle. She’d been furious at Jack’s antics and constantly sought to bring him down. She’d gone missing since Henrys suddenly. He’d completely forgotten about Astrid. And Merida? Was she still under Pitch’s control?

His thought process freezes at the thought of Pitch. He briefly closes his eyes, feeling white-hot anger rush through him.

“Was he married?” a quiet voice breaks through his fury. He opens his eyes.

He’s standing in the Hanger where Tadashi had died. Whether he had subconsciously made his way there or ended up there by accident he isn’t sure of. Jack glances over his shoulder. Rapunzel is leaning against the wall, looking down over the drop-off—where Pitch’s prison had once been.

“No.” Jack swallows. “There was a younger brother, though.” His mind flashs briefly to young Hiro.

“I’m sorry.” To her credit, Rapunzel actually does sound sincere. “He seemed like a good man.”

Jack scoffs. “He was an idiot.”

“Why?” Rapunzel fires back. “For believing?”

Jack rolles his eyes, pushing away from the railing. “For taking on Pitch alone.”

“He was doing his _job_.” Rapunzel moves towards him. 

“ _He_ was out of his league. He should’ve waited. He should’ve…”  _Not died._ Jack feels another jolt of grief rush through him.

“Sometimes there isn’t a way out,” Rapunzel says, regret flashing across her green eyes. Under a different situation, Jack would have felt guilty and empathetic towards her, but after everything…everything they’d been through today, he could only sneer at her.

“Right. And that worked out great for him, didn’t it?” Jack pushes past her. She grabs his arm and swings him around to face her.

“Is this the first time you lost a solider?” she asks, scathingly.

“We are _not_ soldiers!” he snarls at Rapunzel, grasping her shoulders. The two of them stare into one another’s eyes for a long moment. There was grief and pain in her eyes—eyes that were far too old for someone so young. As he stares deeply into them he feels a spark of something he has no name for, but scares him. Scares him worse than anything that has happened thus far.

His eyes dart away as his hands drop away from her shoulders.

“We’re not soldiers,” he repeats softly. “I’m _not_ marching to Eret’s fife,” he adds, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Well neither am I,” Rapunzel agrees. “He’s got the same blood on his hands that Pitch does.”

A shudder runs through both of them at their adversary’s name. She glances up at him, ponderingly.  

“Look. Right now we’ve gotta put our differences aside and get this done.” She begins pacing, her mind already going through multiple military tactics. “Now Pitch obviously needs a power source. If we can put together a list of…”

“He made it personal,” Jack suddenly blurts out, surprising the two of them. His eyes turn to the blood staining the wall and floor.

Rapunzel eyes him warily. “That’s not the point.”

Jack rolls his eyes. “That _is_ the point, Blondie. That’s…that’s _Pitch’s_ point. He hit us right where we live. Why?”

Rapunzel narrows her eyes, starting to follow his line of thinking. “To tear us apart…”

“He had to conquer his greed, but he knows he has to take us out to win, right?” Jack begins pacing. “That’s what he wants. He wants to beat us and he wants to be _seen_ doing it.” He stops. “He wants an audience.”

“Right…” Rapunzel snaps her fingers. “I caught his act at Suttengard.”

“Yeah, yeah…but that’s just a preview. This-this is _opening_ night.” Jack gestures wildly with his hands in that way that makes Hofferson amused. “Pitch is a full-tilt _diva_. He wants flowers, he wants parades, he wants a monument built in the skies with his name plastered…”

Both of them stop at the same time.

“Sonuva…”

* * *

 

There is an ear-piercing, earth-shattering roar that brings him out of the darkness. He gasps for air, eyes wildly darting around.

“What the hell?” he blurts out. Rapunzel and Elsa stand over him, worried and cautious. “What just happened?” he demands. He froze. “Please tell me nobody kissed me…”

Rapunzel rolls her eyes while Elsa lets out a laugh. “He’s alright,” Rapunzel says into her earpiece. “A bit dazed, but still annoying as hell.”

“Damn,” Hofferson’s voice filters through, but it sounds relieved. “How’s Doctor Haddock?”

Elsa and Rapunzel glance over Jack’s head. Jack turns around catches sight of the huge, black Night Fury. Surprisingly enough, though, he’s not threatening at all. His green eyes observe Jack curiously and gently. He’s stationed protectively in front of him, wings folded by his side, tail curled around his body.

“He saved you,” Rapunzel said, offering Jack a hand. “After you pulled that stupid, self-sacrificing move—which we _will_ be talking about!—he dived into the portal after you.”

Jack is unsteady on his feet, but Elsa reaches out and lays a hand on his shoulder. “You are a very brave man, Frost,” she says in that regal voice of hers.

The Night Fury snorts, reminding them he’s there. “As are you,” Elsa adds, with a smile. The black creature eyes her for a moment, before looking satisfied. Before anything else can be said, Astrid and Merida seemingly appear out of nowhere ( _sneaky spies_ ). Hofferson suddenly barrels straight into Jack, throwing her arms around his shoulders.

Stunned by the sudden show of affection from her, he actually hugs her back. She quickly pulls away and punches his shoulder. Hard.

“You idiot!” she fumes.

“What she means is she’s glad you’re not dead,” Merida translates, eyeing him to make sure he’s okay.

Hofferson glares at him. “Pull another stunt like that and I’ll make sure it’s permanent,” she snaps. Jack takes a step back, nervously, and trips over his unsteady feet.

“Okay, everyone lay off him before he passes out or something,” Hofferson orders, steading Jack as his vision swims again.

“I’m fine,” Jack says, before the world tilts again

“Idiot,” Hofferson mutters, as he blacks out.

 

* * *

 

They spend their post-victory battle at a shawarma joint—per Jack’s request. It’s a quiet and messy meal, as everyone is exhausted. Jack briefly glances over his companions, as if to make sure they’re still safe, still there. Elsa appears to be _starving_. He wonders if it’s an after effect of using her powers, but she’s just _inhaling_ that meal.

His eye slide away from her and over to Rapunzel. She’s leaning against the table, eyes unfocused. Occasionally she takes a sip of water, but except for that she’s motionless. Across from her, Merida and Hofferson are hanging all over each other (seriously no boundaries or personal space exist between those too). Merida plays with one of her arrows absentmindedly while Astrid silently glares at the remainder of her food.

 Jack finally glances at Henry. After finding the poor guy a spare change of clothes, Jack had to practically carry him to the restaurant. Henry was more exhausted and spent then the rest of them. Jack figures if _his_ body had completely morphed into a hulking black dragon and spent the afternoon bashing Nightmares, he’d be pretty exhausted too.

Silent and exhausted though they all are, Jack can feel that odd warm feeling sweeping over him again. For once he’s among comrades and friends.

 

* * *

 

A few days later, Elsa leaves for Arendelle.

“Don’t be a stranger,” Jack tells her. She gives an amused snort.

“Actually, totally be a stranger,” Merida suggests. “The less we see of you, the safer earth is.”

“Seriously, come back,” Jack says.

“Shut up, Jack,” everyone says.

Jack considers if it would be overly childish for him to stick his tongue out. _Go for it_ , his dumb brain supplies.

“Very mature,” Hofferson says, shoving his shoulder.

He smirks.

Elsa, Pitch and the tesseract take their leave in a burst of blue ice. Henry jolts back for a moment, clearly startled, his green eyes dilated ever so slightly before going back to normal. Jack can feel Hofferson tense next to him and vaguely wonders what exactly happened between her and Haddock.

“Very dramatic,” Merida says, whipping on her sunglasses. “But seriously. They opened an actual portal in the middle of New York City.”

Hofferson snorts. “Well someone had to upstage Frost.”

“Hey!” Jack pouts.

Rolling her eyes, Hofferson slings a hand over Merida’s shoulder. “We should be going,” she says. “Stay out of trouble, Frost,” she adds, before the two of them disappear.

 “Sneaky spies,” Jack says.

Rapunzel rolls her eyes. “So now that we’ve saved the planet, where are you off to, Doctor?” she asks Henry.

The guy in question shrugs, before slinging his duffle over his shoulder. “Quickest ride out of the country?” he tries. “I didn’t exactly come with any money. Or a phone.” He frowns. “You know, I don’t think I thought this through very thoroughly.”

Jack laughs. “I wasn’t kidding when I invited you over, ya know,” he drawls.

“What?”

Jack rolls his eyes, taking the duffle away from Henry. “Do you _really_ want to go back to Calcutta that bad? That place sucks, dude.”

Henry shakes his head, resigned. “Listen, Jack. It’s not safe—”

“Oh stop it already. In the very slim likelihood that you actually do go all Night Fury of Death on us, I _know_ you’re not going to hurt anyone. You _saved_ us back there.”

“No, _you_ did,” Henry corrects.

“But you saved _me_ ,” Jack says, quietly. Both Henry and Rapunzel look at him sharply. Some unfathomable emotion flashes across Henry’s eyes before settling on amused irritation.

“Nothing I say is gonna stop you, is it?”

“Nope!” Jack says, cheerily as he throws his arm over Henry’s shoulder. “You’re stuck with me kid.”

Henry rolls his eyes, but smiles good-naturedly. Jack feels something warm settle in his chest. It’s been a while since he’s had a friend.

“And what about you, Captain Blondie?” Jack asks with a smirk.

She glances around thoughtfully. “There room for three in your penthouse?”

Jack grins. “Welcome aboard.”

“This can only end in tears,” Henry drily states.

* * *

 

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and Kudos appreciated. :D


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